Tennessee Takeaways: Lazaria Spearman & Talaysia Cooper Shine

I’ll never forget the first time I watched Kim Caldwell’s system, completely enthralled by her Marshall team last season as they continually threw out a press on misses. Not just a press on misses, but with all 5 players over halfcourt. That kind of thing grabs your attention pretty fast!

Watching the work she and her staff put together in the portal, I was so excited to see how this Tennessee team could come together. While talent was of course brought in, the intentionality of the fit was something I tracked closely, and they hit the portal out of the park for bringing Kim’s system to Knoxville.

While it’s just the first game of the season, a 101-53 win over Samford, there are so many takeaways that project where this team is at currently, what they can do moving forward, and why you should be excited about their potential.

Samford is not a great team, with respect, but you can see the intensity, ideology, and consistent impact of what is being done and repped out on court. I don’t think we’ll see this Vols team play their best basketball until closer to SEC play, and they will be challenged a few times in December (Folorida State & Richmond are both Top 50 teams conservatively). Caldwell has mentioned it multiple times herself that it takes time to adapt to the system and find a groove, and Marshall didn’t hit top gear until January last year.

What stands out from our early impression of Tennessee, how the team is grasping concepts, and what might make them different?

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Check out this convo I had with Kim on the pod on her philosophy and approach prior to the season’s start.

Off rip, the athleticism, speed, and length of this group jumps off the charts. To play in this system, it’s a must to bring those attributes in some blend. While I think the press was far from perfect, the intensity and right ideas were there… now it’s just about honing in on consistency, positioning, and timing.

I felt there were some good moments in the halfcourt defense, particularly with backline rotations, but again, continued growth and consistency is the name of the game.

On the other side of the ball, some of the same sentiments echo. So often, people chalk up or create a narrative that this system is all about “shooting”.

Shooting is important and an essential part of it, but really, it’s all about attacking and creating consistent advantages. The point is to always put the defense on its heels, press the right buttons, and empower players to play to their strengths on the floor. No player showcased that more than Talaysia Cooper.

Talaysia Cooper

Again, I don’t want to shoot the gap and get too far ahead of myself, BUT, mannnnn Talaysia Cooper has a chance to be pretty special in a Vols uniform. I try and pay attention less to the raw production, and more at the process in games like these early in the season. What does it look like when someone has the ball? How are they operating out of screens? How comfortable are they? Is there a certain level of composure?

Cooper shined getting to her spots and attacking with patience.

I want to backtrack. Something Kim and I talked about in the pod I mentioned earlier was how her offense empowers players to play their games.

As a wing in this system, Cooper will have so many opportunities to create from so many different areas of the court, a matchup nightmare with her 6’ frame and ability to take larger players off the dribble and bully smaller guards.

I think her patience in the mid-range and ability to rise up is going to set her apart from so many, and add a unique element to this offense. There’s room for her to keep growing as a playmaker, but she is someone who I anticipate to consistently draw double teams, and that’s what this offense is about.

If you can draw two bodies or multiple pairs of eyes doing something, you have the greenlight.

What her efficiency in the halfcourt looks like will be key as we get deeper into the season, but there was much to be excited about just seeing her feel for the game. That’s without even mentioning the defensive presence she brought with her ranginess and length: 7 steals and 2 blocks!!!

Zee Spearman

Every time I watched Miami the past two seasons, Spearman always popped for me as a player. The flashes always had me enticed. At 6’4 with skill and more coordination/fluidity than you typically see with a player that size, Spearman has a pretty rare set of tools.

As soon as she announced she was heading to Tennessee, I was thrilled. I love seeing players go to a place that truly fits what they can do while giving them opportunities to improve in other areas: Kim’s system is a home run for Zee.

She fits the up-tempo defense, capable of covering ground at a high level and making an impact with her size and quickness.

I loved seeing how active she was in running the floor. It felt like half her points came off of outrunning her opposition and just making herself available in the paint. The best way to get chances to do things that are more difficult/advanced is to get elite at doing the simple!

She has the potential to keep growing as a face-up threat, with a smooth jumper that can keep expanding as she grows more consistent. I loved how she played with physicality off the dribble and went up quickly with the ball, again, simple is good! Doing things with force and no hesitation is so key in this offense.

Also of note is how she played in the two-player game with Cooper. I particularly enjoyed the screen, roll, and follow up for a putback.

We didn’t see a ton of the Vols having to deal with a slogged sludgy halfcourt, so we’ll get more data on what things look like when they don’t go perfectly in the future (I feel I learn the most in those moments).

Cooper is technically a sophomore, and is definitely on track for making some noise as a 2027 WNBA Draft prospect. Spearman has been on my radar for a while, and if she continues to play with the confidence she exhibited in game one and becomes more consistent, she’s absolutely someone to make note of for the 2026 WNBA Draft class.

Other Notes

• I was highly impressed by Jewel Spear. She showed the confidence she had at Wake, while also showcasing some key improvements: She’s in the best condition of her career, the handle looks a bit tighter, and she made some high quality reads when things were slowed down. Loved seeing her Nash dribble and liked a lot of what I saw on defensive rotations. I know I’ve said consistency a bunch, but if Jewel maintains that form most of the season, she’ll grow even more as a 2025 prospect in my eyes.

• Samara Spencer fit like a glove. She is the knife through butter that you need in an offense built on kicking ass and taking names, and she was constantly attacking and moving the ball, which I loved to see.

• 12 players logged 7 minutes or more, and 10 played 10+ minutes. That’s not a fluke as Marshall typically played 10 or more players a game and did some more unorthodox rotation patterns. That’s Kim’s style and it’s going to be here!

• The main thing I’ll be looking for moving forward is the extra pass and ball movement. There were some glimpses of that in game one, but the ball really needs to pop at a high level to make this most effective. That stuff takes time, but will be noteworthy. Marshall averaged 16.5 assists per game last season (35th in the country), and all 7 of their losses came when they dipped below that number. There’s an element of “make or miss” to be fair, but it also speaks to this system being at its best when the ball is moving and easier chances are created.